POLSC302: Contemporary Political Thought

Unit 8: Libertarianism, Neoliberalism, and Neoconservativism
*In this unit, we will study the most prominent political ideologies of
the United States for the past two decades: neo-liberalism,
neo-conservatism, and libertarianism. As you have no doubt deduced from
earlier readings in the course, the phrases “liberal” and “conservative”
no longer mean what they did during the times of Adam Smith and Edmund
Burke. Neoliberals tend to advocate for less government control of
social and family issues, but greater government economic and welfare
programs. Meanwhile, neoconservatives are first and foremost concerned
with national security issues. They tend to see the developing world,
particularly Islamic-majority countries, as a threat to the very
foundation of America and the world. Libertarians generally follow a
mix of strident capitalism and utilitarianism.

In addition to the above ideologies, issues surrounding cultural
diversity have become one of the most active areas of contemporary
political theory and philosophy. The impact of taking cultural
diversity seriously in modern political societies has led to challenges
to the dominance of liberal theory and to a more serious engagement of
political theory with actual political struggles.*

Unit 8 Time Advisory
This unit will take approximately 13.5 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 8.1: 3 hours

☐ Subunit 8.2: 5 hours

☐ Subunit 8.3: 3 hours

☐ Subunit 8.4: 2.5 hours

Unit8 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Summarize the primary principles of neoliberalism,
neoconservativism, libertarianism, and multiculturalism.

Identify the major political theorists of neoliberal,
neoconservative, libertarian and multiculturalism movements.

Discuss neoliberalism, neoconservativism, libertarianism, and
multiculturalism in the context of historical events.

Assess the impact that neoliberalism, neoconservativism,
libertarianism, and multiculturalism have had on law, economics,
international relations, and society.

Analyze the primary sources of neoliberalism, neoconservativism,
libertarianism, and multiculturalism and understand how these
theories can be applied to solve problems in society.

Instructions: Please watch the video linked above (67 minutes).
Dr. Huntington’s controversial “clash of civilizations” theory
posits the notion that people’s cultural and religious identities
will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world.
His theory has fallen under the stern critique of various academic
writers.

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displayed on the webpages above.

Instructions: Please watch this lecture (56 minutes). Dr. Tibi
discusses how disagreements over values systems between Islam and
the West are not a "clash of civilizations," but can be resolved
through intra-civilizational dialogue.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

8.3 Libertarianism
- Reading: The Library of Economics and Liberty’s version of Ludwig
Van Mises’ “Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis”
Link: The Library of Economics and Liberty’s version of Ludwig Van
Mises’ “Socialism: An Economic and Sociological
Analysis” (HTML)

Also available in:

[Kindle](http://www.amazon.com/Socialism-Economic-Sociological-Analysis-ebook/dp/B003E7F2PO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1299170808&sr=1-1)
($8.91)
Instructions: Please read this document. von Mises, an Austrian
economist and libertarian, offers a definitive refutation of nearly
every type of socialism ever devised.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Reading: The Library of Economics and Liberty’s version of Arnold
Kling’s “Liberals and Markets”
Link: The Library of Economics and Liberty’s version of Arnold
Kling’s “Liberals and
Markets”
(HTML)

Instructions: Please read this document.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Read the above article, which will provide you with
some background on the definition and contemporary debate over
multiculturalism.
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displayed on the webpage above.